Leap Day

Here’s a day that rolls around once every four years, trying not to make a pest out of itself, like those other 365 days that show up every year. Since it takes 365 days and 6 hours for the earth to revolve around the sun, the 6 hours added up over four years make a leap day.

Some interesting Leap Day information:

Leap Day is the one day of the year that women propose marriage to men. According to the Irish legend, St. Bridget struck a deal with St. Patrick to permit women to propose marriage to men once every four years on February 29th. Traditions state that if a man refuses a woman’s proposal he has to buy her twelve pairs of gloves, so she can wear the gloves to hid her hands and the lack of an engagement ring.

Leap Day is considered unlucky in Scotland and it is bad luck to be born on Leap Day (as if you had any influence in the matter). On the up side however, there is an Honor Society of Leap Day babies.

There is only a 1 in 1,461 chance of being born on Leap Day.

It is considered bad luck in Greece to marry in a leap year.

The longest period between leap years was 8 years. Leap year occurred in 1896 and then again in 1904. There was no leap year in 1900 because of the way that leap years are calculated. Calendar years ending in “00” are only leap years if they are divisible by 4. 1900 wasn’t, but 2000 was. The next time leap year won’t happen will be at the turn of the next century since 2100 also isn’t divisible by 4.